The Shape of Lies

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Summary

Yesterday, Scott was dead. Today, he’s back.

And Anna doesn’t believe in ghosts.

Scott was Anna’s boyfriend. She loved him, but he ruined her life. When he died, she should have been free, but today Scott is on the radio, threatening to spill her secrets.

Anna is a mother, a wife, and head teacher of a primary school.

And she’s a good liar.

She made one mistake, and now she is having to pay for it. Scott is the only person who knows the truth about her past, but how can he be alive?

Soon, DCI Tom Douglas is going to knock on her door looking for answers. But Anna is already running scared: from the man she loved; the man she watched die; the man who has come back to life.

Dark, Intense and Velvety Smooth!

It's been a while since I last read one of Rachel Abbott's books and certainly absence seems to have made the heart grow fonder! This is an excellent thriller, as usual you won't find a whole load of action here but there is a tense, well plotted story of considerable depth. Oddly for a detective thriller series most of this one is written from the victim's perspective rather than from the detective's. It's a clever and oblique approach which keeps consistency to link the books together while giving a fresh perspective to each one, The lead being new each time while Douglas himself and his team are all decent characters.

This story sees Anna, a successful primary school headteacher with a seemingly comfortable family life confronted by things from her past, and there's no prize for guessing that those things are more than unwelcome. The heat and tension rise as a man is discovered murdered in a local car park. As usual with Abbott not everything is as it seems and what unravels is a cleverly concocted mystery that twists and turns its way to a very fitting conclusion.

Lisa Coleman who has narrated several books previously in the series gives her usual classy performance at the microphone making this an audiobook that is extremely easy to recommend to those who like dark and twisty thrillers which manage to ratchet up the tension without much blood and gore. Abbott is a smooth operator who has owned her craft to a fine edge. And there is definitely a sting in this tale . . .

Plot relies on bad decisions

Good twisty plot, with revelations coming at regular intervals throughout the book so there's never a dull moment.

The downside is that the plot relies on the main character (Anna) making bad decisions, decisions that I can't relate to, and therefore I lost some empathy with the main character. (Hence only 4 stars.)

The story is told from Anna's perspective, with the police having a relatively small role in the plot. Anna is currently a Head School Teacher, pillar of respectability, but gradually we learn of her murky past, things that she was mixed up in at University and may still be mixed up in, and things she is keeping from her family.

Awful

I love the DCI Tom series but this book.. it is ridiculous and the reasoning given throughout is laughable, I listened in its entirety as loved the books before but will be requesting a refund on this one. Please do not waste your time or money on this book. It genuinely is awful, such a shame. I would give zero stars if that were possible.

excellent

it is breathtaking,surprising. i really enjoyed this book and will definitely get more from this author

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

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Overall

5 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

5 out of 5 stars

barbara

20-05-19

The Shape of Lies

Wow, what an ending. This is a definite put on your list for a must read, enjoyed every single minute and will be definetely be reading more books of Rachel. The narration was excellent.

Overall

5 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

5 out of 5 stars

Karen Ross

20-04-19

May I have a second serving, please?

“The Shape of Lies” is a suspenseful thriller by one of my favorite authors, Rachel Abbott, bringing back DCI Tom Douglas, a character I have come to admire in Abbott’s previous audiobooks. Without giving away any spoilers, let me just say, this is excellently narrated by Lisa Coleman. Twisty turns and surprises throughout. Just when I thought I had it all figured out (and I thought did), surprise, I was dead-wrong! Well worth a treasured credit. Very highly recommended. There just has to be another...

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